Roz Sullivan
Roz is a Partner in our Disputes team, responsible for public sector and regulatory work.
Roz joins us from the Welsh Government, where, over the course of 18 years, she led the legal advice on numerous high profile, multifaceted projects across a range of policy areas with significant impact on society in Wales. She has extensive experience of:
- working with legislation; leading and advising on its preparation, drafting it, analysing it, and advising on its application;
- leading complex and sensitive advisory projects, including projects involving interventions in local government (both those relating to corporate governance and relating to senior officer or member conduct); and
- advising on legal risk arising from wide ranging administrative decisions and constitutional matters.
Most recently Roz was a Deputy Director of Legal Services in Welsh Government, senior legal adviser to the Welsh Ministers and responsible for leading the Welsh Government’s legal work related to Education, Local Government, Welsh Language, Culture, Sport and Tourism.
Roz was involved in, or led on the following Welsh Government projects:
Advising on the preparation and content of Senedd Bills and overseeing their implementation, including:
- The Local Government (Finance) Wales Bill, which will make a significant contribution towards reforming non-domestic rates and council tax in Wales, making the framework more closely aligned with fluctuating market conditions and responsive to the evolving context for taxpayers and communities;
- The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, which contained significant changes for local authorities in Wales, including introducing a new system for improving their performance and governance, changes to their governance framework, a new general power of competence, the establishment of corporate joint committees and extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds, and foreign citizens legally resident in Wales;
- The Renting Homes (Amendment) (Wales) Act 2021 which provided greater security for renters, the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015, and part 4 of the groundbreaking Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Leading the Welsh Government’s legal advice on:
- education related matters including teachers’ pay and regulation and equality issues within educational settings;
- local government related matters, including local government performance and intervention, and local government finance including council tax and non-domestic rates;
- issues flowing from the accommodation in Wales of refugees from Ukraine, and overseeing the production of related vital subordinate legislation;
- options to address wide ranging pandemic related situations within the housing and local government policy areas, and overseeing the urgent production of consequent subordinate legislation; and
- A range of planning and building safety related matters, including local development plans and leaseholder support; and
Litigation
- Public law, including:
- legal risk in public bodies’ decision making;
- constitutional law;
- administrative law, including judicial review; and
- public procurement.
Career
- Partner, Capital Law Limited (Jan 2024 – present)
- Deputy Director, Legal Services, Welsh Government (Oct 2019 – Jan 2024)
- Senior Lawyer and Team Leader, Legal Services, Welsh Government (May 2010 – Sep 2019)
- Government Lawyer, Welsh Government (Apr 2005 – May 2010)
- Solicitor, Morgan Cole LLP (Sep 2003 – Apr 2005)
- Trainee Solicitor, Morgan Cole LLP (Sep 2001 – Sep 2003)
Education
- The University of Sheffield: LPC (Sep 2000 – Jul 2001)
- University of Sussex: LLB, European Commercial Law and French (Sep 1994 – Jul 1998)
Memberships / Trustee positions
- The Law Society of England and Wales